When I was in elementary school, I got an award for doing the best in Spanish Class.

I beat a girl who was bilingual and spoke Spanish at home. This was probably the peak in my life.

New blog posts coming soon, maybe.

Laser Tag is a Hollow Victory.

Over winter break last year, I went back home to New Jersey for the first time in a while. It was a lot of fun to see all of my friends, one of our goals being to do as many activities as we could during the month and a half I'd be in town.

We went to this arcade of sorts to drive Go-Karts, where I learned I was not very good at driving Go-Karts (although this wasn't a big surprise since I can't drive...) After playing a few games we decided to use our credits towards a game of Laser Tag, which apparently is really cool and exciting. I don't know, I think I've played laser tag once in my life when I was 10 years old and I just sort of hid in a haze of confusion. When you get in there, they show us a safety video (no running, don't hit people with the gun, etc.).Then we split off into two teams, one team being our group and the other team a birthday party of small children plus one dad, and one person from our group.

Let me tell you, laser tag is some stressful stuff. This one in particular was 2 floors, with fog and these tower things we were supposed to guard. In the frenzy of laser tag, getting shot by random children who are REALLY INTO THE GAME is kind of crazy. But we had hand-eye coordination and developed motor skills to our advantage, as well as the fact that we understood the objective of "shoot the towers" outweighing "shoot the enemy". We ended up winning by like, a lot. It was a good time, but considering the fact that we were all 20-somethings desperately clinging to the nostalgia of our youth, you could argue our victory wasn't a huge win for anyone involved.

It's weird to like, grow up. I mean don't misunderstand me, I definitely think I'm better off where I am now in comparison to the small child I was up against in laser tag who ran into a pole just for funsies. But...yeah. The future is now I guess, and I'm pretty sure I'm over laser tag.

Unless you're playing with Neil Patrick Harris

Play it cool.

This week, I started my new internship. I was really excited, it's a whole new place with new people and all new experiences! What a time to be alive.

The night before the first day, I was really nervous. We were scheduled to have an orientation of sorts, seeing as it's a bigger agency with more interns. The feeling of anticipation and excitement was almost nostalgic, it felt like the first day of classes. And first impressions on the first day are always important, not only to try to impress your supervisors, but also to seem like you're really cool to your peers/fellow interns, and not lame at all.

So here I am with the internal struggle of SOCIAL INTERACTIONS. As you read this, please note that this is basically how I handle my life every day only less dramatically and not really like this at all, only on certain occasions, really. I think there are three ways it could go down, more or less, with two extremes. In most circumstances, I am one of the two extremes with literally no space for middle grounds.

1. The "I AM SO EXCITED I MAY LITERALLY DIE"
• This is the one that I usually encounter. I get so hyped up on the adrenaline of a new _____, that I kind of forget how to function as a calm person.
• In retrospect, even I find myself annoying, but hopefully it's in that endearing, bubbly kind of way that you can slowly forget about as you get to know me better.
2. The (FOR SOME REASON, I'VE FORGOTTEN HOW TO SPEAK.)
• Other times, my nerves get in the way and I kind of just sit around and smile and fidget a lot. There's not really much more to say to these situations because they're just about awkward as I feel talking about them. Minus Points.
3. The "Oh, you know, just living life"
• I was talking to one of my friends and she told me that I just had to play it cool, to which I replied "i DoN'T KNOW IF I cAN??????" But this is the ideal state that you want to come into. Really nonchalant, excited in a way that doesn't seem like you're forcing it. Pretty much if you live your life this way, I think you're REALLY COOL and I aspire to be like you. 
• The danger of this one is playing it TOO cool, at which point you may come off as a bitch. But I mean, just don't be a mean person on top of the layer of nonchalance and you can generally avoid that misconception.

If you're reading this entry and happen to be a fellow intern, then I hope I fit in category 3 this week. And if you're relating more to categories 1 or 2, it's okay, we've all been there. Just you know, play it cool. My method is cracking really awkward or bad jokes and then laughing at them to convince everyone around you that you're funny. 

This was the first picture I found image searching "interns" on google.

My Name is Meghan, and I click on Banner Ads.

SO I study Advertising Design at the lovely Ringling College of Art and Design, and I guess you could say I'm a fan of good advertising. I'm also a fan of strong strategy, and if there's one thing I learned last year it's this: Millennials really hate banner ads. I can't remember the percentage exactly, but I was doing some research last year for media planning and it was something like...99.2% of Women 18-25 highly dislike banner ads. The average click-through rate of ads on Buzzfeed is a little more than 1%, which is nearly 25 times higher than the average click-through rate of normal banner ads. So basically, nobody clicks on them.

Except for me. I click on all of them.

I'm pretty sure I am that 0.00000000000000025% of the population who clicks on ads that are blatantly sponsored ads. And it's not like they're even good ones, it's not something innovative or well designed that really deserves clicking on it. It's usually this:

Like, literally every time

Or some variation. There was a period of months where I'd click on the same ad of the same dress every time, then remember that the page was a maternity clothing website, then get mad and do the same thing like a week later. It really messed up the targeting of the ads I got because it seemed like I was pregnant.

I'm not really sure what makes me click on them. Okay well it's probably the dresses. I really like dresses. All of the dresses. But like, even things NOT about clothes or nail polish (Freakin' Julep can see into my soul, I swear), I'll find myself clicking on them. Like "HMM I WONDER IF I NEED AN ARCHERY SET????" It feels counterintuitive since I  LITERALLY STUDY THIS, but hey... look at this dress.

If you need me I'll be online window shopping.

How to: Pack

When you're a rising senior in college, there's one thing you've really mastered: packing for the summer. And when I say mastered, I mean "learned how to do haphazardly at best." Here's my guide on how to pack, the extended version. The abridged version goes as follows:

1. Believe in yourself. 

The extended version requires a bit of strategy. The first step is to pick up everything from the floor. The second you pick it up, you either have to put it in the trash, pack it somewhere, or put it somewhere really inconvenient for you to sort out later. I usually put things on my bed. 

Now that everything is off the floor you can take a second to be like "wow this almost looks clean". Good job. The next part gets tedious. Sort your things through a series of piles.  It really depends on the individual on this one. For me, 90% of my stuff gets put into a trash/donation pile. The remainder should be packed in a box that shouldn't be opened once full. 

Once you've packed a box, don't forget to label the contents of the box somehow. Earlier today my friend Carrianne looked at me and said, "I packed my tape in a box, but I need the tape to finish packing. I forget which box it's packed in." Do not be Carrianne. 

After you're done packing that box up, get it out of the room you're cleaning up/packing. Basically, just push it into some other room, so the room you're in has visible progress. It'll keep you motivated to keep going. 

So once you've gotten this all down you should be finished packing. Here are some tips I've picked up, at least for keeping your room to dorm-regulations, as well as general packing tips. 

1. If you're using command hooks and the tape doesn't come off, heat it with a hairdryer and use floss/string to peel the tape off your wall. 
2. If the blue tacky stuff for posters is stuck on your walls, a hot washcloth and faith will get it cleaned.
3. When packing for short distances, forget spacebags. A trash bag with a vacuum and some quick reflexes is just as good. 
1. I mean I don't really use spacebags because they're expensive, but they will seal in the air forever compared to a trash bag that will last for a few days. I usually use the trash bags for flights.
4. Personal rule: If you haven't looked at/used it in at least 3 months, get rid of it. 

So there you have it. I personally like to wait to pack until the very last second and then through a burst of energy accomplish it all at once, leaving you with several hours to just wait with your packed things and think "yeah this worked this was fine", but it's up to you.

BONUS: I tried to find a video example of using trash bags to vacuum-seal your stuff. I succeeded:

But I also found a lot of videos of people vacuum-sealing themselves into trash bags. Don't do that that seems like a really poor decision.

Saying Goodbye.

Tomorrow, the class of 2014 will be graduating. I plan on volunteering at the event, even though the volunteer shirts are long-sleeved and it's supposed to be a high of 91°F tomorrow and I might actually, literally die.

My job tomorrow will be a "Front Entrance Outside Greeter", which means I'll be one of the first faces the lovely attendees of tomorrow's event sees, casually overheating in a green long sleeved-shirt. I've been practicing my enthusiastic greetings for about an hour, so I know I'll be really prepared to show the spirit of RCAD tomorrow. Right now it's something like "Hello welcome to THE THING GrADUATION OH GOD I'm gonna miss your SON/DAUGHTER/FAMILYMEMBER/FRIEND SO MUCH". So yeah, I'm working on it.

I've never been to a Ringling College Graduation, so I guess this will help prepare me for what to expect next year. I'm probably going to cry, because I'm very good at crying and will sometimes tear up due to making prolonged eye-contact with people. I don't know that's just something that's going to happen.

So to the Graduating Class of 2014: Don't go. I'll miss you all. 

Hahahaha, just kidding not really!!!!! Go out there and live your lives. Blog about it, and tell other people to read my blog as well. Also keep reading my blog. Also don't leave.

Okay, well. See you around.

Well that wasn't a good story at all

Things that make me nervous: Professional E-Mails

I won't deny this: I can be a bit of a panic sometimes. I have a tendency to overthink things a lot, and I'm usually a worst-case scenario kind of girl. In my defense, I've been in some pretty strange situations.

When I was little I had a very overactive imagination. I'd think to myself "What if the whole floor was just covered in bugs right now that'd be so scary hahaHAHA". And then my mom would find me perched on the highest thing I could climb freaking out about the concept of bugs being everywhere.

That was a weird tangent that's left me freaking out about bugs, when this post is supposed to be about e-mail etiquette, which literally always sets me in a panic. Is there a science for how to write e-mails? Let me just say, if someone wrote a guidebook on when and how to write a follow-up, they'd probably make a lot of money provided they're marketed properly.

Now of course it's different when you know the person, or the e-mails are casual and quick. My friend sent me a message of a file and I replied with "ya' beautiful". But when I get messages from like, potential internship opportunities, or professors, the pressure is on at a level beyond that of a surgeon. In this moment, I have to use my mind grapes to place words in an order that sounds like a casual professionalism. If you've read these blog posts you'll know I've got the casual down, but the professionalism not so much. 

"Should I address them by their first name? Or maybe I should go professional. How do I sign this e-mail? "Hugs and Butterfly Kisses" won't cut it in this situation. Oh god how long has it been since they sent this e-mail? When should I follow up? Do I follow up the follow up? Wait, should I thank them for thanking me for thanking them? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING." -Actual Thought Process when receiving emails.

This picture really speaks to me.

It's weird too because, I think in about 90% of the time, I would never speak with such careful consideration and maturity to whomever I'm writing to if it were in person. And they wouldn't speak to me this way either. Maybe one day I'll try speaking ONLY in professional follow-up tone, I bet I'd make a lot of friends that way.

I could probably write an entire paper on this topic. But not an e-mail.